The invention relates to the technical field of self-lubricating joints, especially for the assembly of an axle in a ball joint or bearing allowing a rectilinear or rotational guiding.
The invention advantageously applies for all types of joints requiring a greaseless operation, that is, with a self-lubricating operation and operating under high loads in dynamic state.
The invention aims at obtaining a self-lubricating joint made of polymer which is homogeneous across its entire thickness with no reinforcement substrate and operating under high loads, for example, greater than 60 MPa in dynamic state.
According to the state of the art, this type of composite polymer joint is not fully satisfactory because of its poor behavior under mechanical loading and to its risks of flow and delamination under a dynamic load, including for loads lower than 60 MPa. For example, self-lubricating ball joints formed of a cage made of composite polymer or having a composite friction coating and of a chromium or stainless steel sphere are known. However, seizing problems appear between the sphere and the axle. Ball joints entirely made of polymers but having no resistance to dynamic loads greater than 40 MPa are also known.
The invention aims at overcoming these disadvantages in a simple, reliable, efficient, and rational way.
The problem that the present invention aims at solving is to self-lubricate the two contacts of a ball joint, that is, between the sphere and the cage on the one hand, and between the sphere and the axle on the other hand, with the aim of obtaining an easy disassembly of the sphere/axle contact, the considered joint being adapted for strong contact pressures greater than 40 MPa.